New Mexico is seeing growth of solar and wind power projects

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A survey of 3,500 adults, ages 18 to 65, concluded that more than half of New Mexicans are prepared to make big lifestyle changes to help the environment.

The solar project near Carrizozo should mean lower rates for area residents and customers of the Otero County Electric Cooperative.(Photo11: Courtesy/Ray Dean)

Other findings in a study by Sandbar Solar include that women are more willing than men to fight climate change; residents of Kansas are the least likely to make lifestyle changes; 66 percent of Americans would consider reducing their energy usage to help combat the causes of climate change; 84 percent of Americans try to reduce their use of plastic in every day life; and only one-third of consumers have researched switching to an alternative energy resource.

Climate change, or global warming, is a hot topic. Most people are aware there are certain things that they could be doing to help alleviate the issue, but how much would they actually be prepared to do? Solar installation company, Sandbar Solar, polled 3,500 Americans to gauge, if they would be prepared to make significant lifestyle changes, such as eating less meat or driving their cars less, if it helped to stop, slow or reverse global climate change.

Overall, just over half, 52 percent, of people said they would make significant lifestyle changes, though when broken down by gender, only 44 percent of men would be prepared to, compared to 59 percent of women. And when the results were broken down by state, it was revealed that 52 percent of the good people of the Land of Enchantment are willing to make big lifestyle changes, compared to Kansans who are the least disposed, where only 28 percent of people said they would change their habits.

Many wind turbines already are operating just north of Lincoln County.(Photo11: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

When asked specifically about what lifestyle changes they would make, a significant 43 percent of respondents say they would consider cutting down on meat, perhaps surprising for a country which lays claim to inventing the hamburger, and 71 percent would consider driving their cars less.

Encouragingly, two thirds or 66 percent of respondents said they try to cut down on their energy use, such as turning off lights when not being used and powering down their computers after work.. And 65 percent of Americans say they take measures to lower water usage, such as turning off the tap when brushing teeth. Eighty-four percent also say they try to reduce their use of plastic in everyday life.

However, there seems to be a fair deal of misunderstanding around the topic, too: Fifty-eight percent of people surveyed did not correctly identify the scientific community’s widely-assumed causes of global warming that are farming, burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Instead, 44 percent think it is due to cyclical weather patterns, 7 percent think the sun is getting hotter and 7 percent think the earth is moving closer to the sun.

Lastly, 66 percent of people have never researched how they could save on bills by using alternative sources of energy.

“Solar energy reduces global demand for fossil fuels and makes it easier for people to shrink their carbon footprints," Sandbar Solar president Scott Laskey said. "There are many incentives and financing options available for homeowners to help them make the switch to solar."

To see how each state compares, check out Sandbar Solar’s interactive map: https://www.sandbarsolar.com/news/fighting-climate-change/ that shows where Americans care most and least about global warming. The highest percentage was posted in Nebraska at 74 percent, followed by Connecticut at 73 percent. California fell into the 64 percent range, Oregon 67 percent, Nevada 59 percent and Colorado 58 percent.

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